Obituary in "Stanford Magazine", March/April 2006
Hans Samelson, of Stanford, September 22, at 89, of natural causes.
A prominent mathematician in differential geometry, topology, and
the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras, he was the author of
two textbooks and many research articles. In 1940, he earned his
doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and in
1941 accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study at
Princeton. Later, he taught at the U. of Wyoming, Syracuse U. and
the U. of Michigan. He came to Stanford in 1960, where he received
the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1977 and served as
chair of the mathematics department from 1979 to 1982. After
retiring in 1986, he continued to publish articles on contemporary
and historical mathematical subjects. Survivors: his wife, Nancy;
two sons, Peter and Roger, ’81; one daughter, Amy; and two
grandchildren.
Though he became emeritus in 1986, he remained professionally
active throughout his retirement, publishing articles on both
contemporary and historical mathematical topics. One solved an
architectural puzzle associated with the construction of the
Brunelleschi Dome in Florence, Italy.
He was active in the Palo Alto Friends Meeting (Quakers) during his
retirement, serving as treasurer for several years.